San Pedro’s David Arian, a tireless fighter for dockworkers’ rights who rose to the union’s highest office and most recently served on the Los Angeles harbor commission, died Wednesday, Jan. 2, following a battle against an aggressive form of thyroid cancer. He was 72.

Accolades poured in from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city officials by nightfall.

“From the docks to the board room, his humor, his intelligence, and his commitment to justice built the most successful port in the Americas while doing right for the workers and the community that are the lifeblood of the harbor community,” Garcetti said. “Our city and our world are better places because of David Arian’s Extraordinary career and because of his deep humanity.”

David Arian embodied what service means for his fellow human being. From the docks to the board room, his humor, intelligence & commitment to justice built the most successful port in the Americas while doing right for the workers & community that are the lifeblood of the harbor.

“Our waterfront community has lost a friend, a fighter, a mentor, a labor leader and a legend,” Buscaino said. “Dave Arian has given so much to our community and his contributions will never be forgotten.”

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents dockworkers on the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska. It was founded in 1937 after the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, a three-month-long strike that culminated in a four-day general strike.

Membership now is about 36,000 but has dropped over the years as automation has eliminated some of the need for manual labor jobs in the nation’s ports.

“Dave’s contributions to the Port, to labor, the maritime industry, the community and our environmental strategies are beyond measurement,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.

“He brought genuine care and commitment to the community in all his work. He was a political fighter his entire life, and a gracious fighter in his battle with cancer. We will miss him, his expertise, his sense of humor and selfless dedication to bettering the workplace for all.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said: “Yesterday’s dockworkers thanked Harry Bridges (founder of the ILWU) — today’s dockworkers will thank Dave Arian. For decades Dave fought for the men and women who are the backbone of our ports — and it is because of him that they have the benefits they do today,” Hahn’s statement read. “I know so many people across the Harbor Area are mourning his loss tonight. He was my friend and I will miss him dearly. If the heavenly angels are not yet unionized, I’m sure Dave is already in negotiations.”

Dedicated to common man and woman

Arian was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer several months ago. He entered a clinic trial at a treatment clinic in Houston during the summer, but by late this year the treatments were no longer working.

After it was announced just before Christmas that he’d decided to enter hospice care, a deluge of tributes and heart-felt memories poured onto the “Dave Arian’s Wellness Journey” Facebook page recalling Arian’s dedication to the common man and his role in building the International Longshore and Warehouse Union during an era of drastic change in goods movement technology.

The messages were read to Arian over the course of his final days.

While there was no shortage of tributes from community leaders and politicians, it was the memories from those in the background — the lesser-known men and women Arian quietly helped along the way in life — that provided a deep glimpse into his character.

“One of the hardest things I have ever written is a goodbye to you David my friend, comrade and as we always called each other cousin,” wrote JoAnne Miller on Dec. 23.

“You have been a presence in my life since the first time I met you over 48 years ago when you came to the back door of our tiny house in Oakland for a meeting — holding a crying Sean (Arian’s son) who was covered in poop because he was sick. You said hi, and went to clean him up. The first time I’d seen a man doing the dirty work. And you were loving and kind to the poor sick little guy. … We went though that time in Oakland, with the dock strike, and the constant robbing of your home near the Coliseum until the robbers put ‘Slim Pickings’ on the door of your home. … Years, of meetings, and leafleting, pickets and more meetings. You were always the voice of reason, seeing further than the immediate struggle. …”

Many relayed stories of Arian’s dedication as a father, grandfather and friend, with stories of how he’d served as a mentor to guide them through the challenges of life.

“I never had much going for myself,” posted one friend who, in his 20s, was taken under Arian’s wing. “Dave let me live in his garage for a while.”

At his “lowest point,” he wrote, he was invited to stay with Arian at a farm he and his sister, Larraine, owned in Hawaii.

“Two days later I was on a plane with a suitcase full of clothes and a few dollars. I was 28. … (Arian) gave me a place to stay and some responsibilities taking care of the farm. That was a big risk for someone like me. He believed in me and took a risk. I had no driver license, bank account, job or plan. Dave never told me what to do with my life. He would always just ask me on the phone. What do you need to do to get your license, a bank account is probably a good idea. He was always reminding me, and planting the thoughts in my head that would eventually push me to become a responsible adult. Long story short, 8 years later. I’m a licensed contractor, I own a successful roofing company, have an amazing wife and a beautiful son. … Dave believed in me …”

Arian’s son and daughter posted this on Facebook Wednesday night:

“We’re heartbroken to report that our father, Dave Arian, passed away late this afternoon. He led a remarkably full 72 years, full of love for his family, his union, and for social justice. He touched and transformed the lives of thousands, but none more than those of us lucky enough to be part of the family he filled with warmth, laughs, love and a commitment to a better world. Dad was incredibly grateful for the love and support you gave him and us over the past several months. We’ll share details of the memorial service once they have been arranged. -Sean & Justine”

Docks to destiny

Arian was 18 years old, still in high school and weighed all of 130 pounds when he reported to the docks in Wilmington according to a video clip he made for the Port of Los Angeles.

Born Dec. 4, 1946 and raised in San Pedro, Arian came from a Russian Jewish ancestry. From his mother, Arian said he inherited a political awareness and social conscience. From his father, a Lithuanian and a longshoreman, the driving force that led Arian to work on the docks like his father before him.

His first experience, however — hoisting 100-pound stalks of bananas crawling with tarantulas and small green snakes that emerged and ran up workers’ arms as the day’s heat set in — left him unconvinced the job was what he wanted.

“I went home and told my dad, ‘I don’t want to be a longshoreman,’” said Arian, a 1965 graduate of San Pedro High School.

But Arian went back, eventually finding his life’s calling as a working man who went to bat for other working men. It gave him a front-row seat to many of the social upheavals that rocked both the union and the nation over the course of several decades.

He recalled in a video how in 1969 his dad, known as “Honest Lou” on the docks, put him in his place when the son dared to criticize a contract negotiated by Harry Bridges, who established the union in the 1930s.

Years later, Arian would refer to Bridges as a “visionary.” Arian said he came to realize that the contract signed by Bridges foresaw how things would change on the docks and signed a contract that ensured as many jobs as possible would remain under those circumstances.

Bridges, who had been a good friend of Arian’s father, tapped the son to attend a peace conference in Europe in 1984.

While Arian eventually rose through the ranks to be elected to the ILWU’s international president, he maintained an open, down-to-earth manner and always identified as a “rank and filer.”

Arian was elected international president of the ILWU in 1991 and returned to the docks three years later after losing his bid for re-election. He also served as an officer of the ILWU’s Local 13 many times, including several stints as the local president.

In 2009, he released a 78-page book about the union titled “The Right to Get in the Fight.” The book focused on the union’s philosophies and the political culture that had kept the union alive for more than 80 years.

“About a year ago when I was getting ready to retire, I decided I needed to give something back to the newer people,” Arian said in a Feb. 7, 2009, interview with the Daily Breeze.

He also served as president of the nonprofit Harry Bridges Institute, which he founded in 1993 as an education endeavor to preserve the ILWU’s legacy.

Harbor Commission

Arian served on the port’s clean air action plan committee and, in 2010, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners by then-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He was re-appointed in 2013 by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Arian continued to serve on the five-member panel until his death and often reminded his fellow board members of the importance of the port’s primary mission — moving goods.

During his tenure on the Board, the Port of Los Angeles broke all-time cargo volume records while reducing air emissions, two goals which Arian was particularly focused on.

Arian supported plans to construct what will be a recreational waterfront in San Pedro and Wilmington, but he frequently reminded his colleagues at the port that the port’s core purpose was moving cargo and providing jobs.

After stalled negotiations in early 2015 caused ship backups in the Port of Los Angeles, Arian noted that the industry will continue to face changes as ports struggle to deal with new mega container ships coming on line.

He also remained a committed citizen of his hometown and alma mater through the years. Arian and fellow commissioner Anthony Pirozzi attended San Pedro High School football games together until this past season when Arian became ill.

‘One of the good guys’

“He has taught me so much over this short period of time …,” Pirozzi wrote in a post on the Facebook page. “In fact, I have been asking myself at times lately, ‘what would Dave do or say’ when a particular issue is being discussed at our commission meetings. Dave is a giant when it comes to labor and goods movement and his knowledge is unparalleled across the industry. I admire his passion and his sense of humor. … he would tease me on occasion when it came to developing the waterfront by saying, ‘I make the money and you spend it.’ I would put my arm around him and we would laugh. … To me, he is and will always be one of the good guys and a local hero.”

Arian is survived by his son, Sean Bonin; daughter, Justine Arian-Edwards; sister, Laraine Arian; ex-wife and close friend, Roxanne Arian; five grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He is predeceased by his brother Arthur, who died in 2006.

Donna Littlejohn has covered the Harbor Area as a reporter since 1981. Along with development, politics, coyotes, battleships and crime, she writes features that have spotlighted an array of topics, from an alligator on the loose in a city park to the modern-day cowboys who own the trails on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. She loves border collies and Aussie dogs, cats, early California Craftsman architecture and most surviving old stuff. She imagines the 1970s redevelopment sweep that leveled so much of San Pedro's historic waterfront district as very sad.

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